Recycled Crafts

Creative DIY Projects That Turn Trash Into Treasure

Dirt-Cheap Dorm Room Furniture

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DIRT CHEAP (1)

Continuing with the theme of back to school, here’s a frugal — and green — idea for dorm room design: cardboard furniture. While you may not be able to craft Frank Gehry’s award-winning, high-design Wiggle Chair (retail $875, shown), I found a few sites that offer tutorials and ideas to get you started:

The most detailed tutorial I found was one from Andrew Senior. See both his finished photo and step-by-step tutorial.

A amazing collection of innovative cardboard furniture from designers around the world is at designboom.com.

flickr member Lostspyder shows us his recycled art project from his 3-D art class: flickr.com.

Looking for more ways to upcycle furniture? Check out these Upcycling Furniture Books we found on Amazon.

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Comments

  1. Like most high-design furniture, I am guessing that it’s NOT comfortable. 🙂

    If anyone decides to make their own cardboard furniture that turns out to be uncomfortable, fortunately they’re not out hundreds of dollars — just haul the furniture to the recycling bin!

Have you read?

Come On Baby, Start My Fire – DIY Firestarters

I stumbled across this brilliant little project the other day from one of my favorite upcycling bloggers, Sadie Seasongoods, and I had to share it. 

The firestarters Sadie makes are crafted from dryer lint, wax, and the cardboard bottoms of egg cartons. She even pretties them up with some dried herbs and flower petals, which honestly takes them from “I made this in my garage” to “Pinterest Queen Energy.” What I love most is how simple and budget-friendly they are. I mean, who doesn’t have dryer lint, an old candle stub, and a toilet roll lying around?

She walks you through the whole process with her usual clear instructions the end result looks more like a rustic gift item than something you’d toss into a fire pit. It’s the perfect kind of project for anyone who likes camping, cozy backyard firepits, or even just prepping for winter in a crafty way.

Other DIY Firestarter Ideas I’ve Tried (and Loved)

Feeling inspired by Sadie’s creativity, I thought I’d toss in a few of my own favorite DIY firestarter methods—because once you make one, you kinda want to try them all!

Pine Cones Dipped in Wax

This one’s a holiday fave. Gather some pine cones, melt some candle wax (crayons work too!), and dip them until they have a nice coating. You can even add a few drops of essential oils for a nice scent as they burn.

Cork Firestarters

Soak used wine corks in rubbing alcohol for about a week. Keep them in a tightly sealed jar and pull one out when needed. They light up like magic (just be safe—these burn hot and fast!).

Orange Peel Twists

Let orange peels dry and twist them into spirals. They’re flammable and naturally full of oils that help them catch easily. Plus, they smell amazing when burned!

Paper Muffin Liners + Wax + Sawdust

Pour melted wax into muffin liners filled with sawdust (or wood shavings, or even coffee grounds). Let them cool, and you’ve got sturdy little fire cakes ready to go.